It is important to convey to the customer that this is an INVENTORY CONTROL SYSTEM not the shoplifter, bad guy, criminal system.
INCOMING ALARMS:
Ask the customer:
- Have you purchased something in another store with a system like this? Other retailers may not have properly deactivated a label they placed on merchandise.
- Are you returning an item for exchange or refund? Was the item they are returning, purchased or stolen?
- Is there any reason you can think of for our inventory system to alarm? Let the customer offer input as to why the system is alarming. They may become nervous and give you more information.
In some cases shoplifters will enter a store intentionally with a live tag or label to set your system off. They may say something like “oh, this happens to me all the time”. That way when they leave and set the Checkpoint System off you will simply allow them to go. Use this as a customer service opportunity to “fix” the customers problem. A real customer will be appreciative.
OUTGOING ALARMS:
A great way to approach the customer is to say “let me take care of that for you”. In many cases the alarm could be as a result of the cashier not removing a hard tag or deactivating a label. So approach them to provide customer service: approach customer in friendly manner and ask to check their receipt.
You can imply there may have been an error and an item may not have been deactivated. Implying the customer has done something can escalate the situation. If the customer is not stealing, this is another form a good and attentive customer service.
Take the customers bag and walk it through the Checkpoint System yourself. You know you do not have a tag or label on yourself. If it alarms then chances are the item is in the bag.
The best way to resolve this is to ask for the receipt and take the merchandise to a cash/wrap and look for the item that is causing an alarm. Check the merchandise against the receipt. Shoplifters will sometimes drop a concealed item they had on their person into the bag after they leave the cash/wrap.
If the bag does not alarm then ask the customer to walk back through the system including any purses, coats… they are carrying. If it alarms then the customer has a tag or label on their person. Follow your stores procedures for a potential shoplifter.
Checkpoint Systems are proven commercial equipment that many State Laws acknowledge. It is perfectly safe as harmless as an FM radio. It will not affect or impair watches, magnetic tapes, cameras, hearing aids, pace makers, cell phones, access control cards or any other similar device.
In some cases shoplifters will become agitated and argumentative. Remember you have the legal and moral high ground. Stay calm and continue to use your skills to resolve the issue. If you are in doubt ask for assistance from your store staff.
AA Blog 05: Alpha 3 Alarm
Alpha 3 Alarm: 4
Prevent Shoplifting: 3
Retail Anti-Theft Devices: 3
How Alpha Alpha 3 Alarm Technology Can Add a Whole New Level to Your Loss Prevention Program
In my experience as a police officer, I would have to say that the majority of the shopliftings I have responded to involved some sort of concealment on the part of the offender. This happens in various ways and occurs across a large spectrum of people. I have seen people blatantly conceal items on the retail floor, by placing them in their purse or backpack or inside their clothing. This is typical of the younger crowd, although I have arrested an older man for stealing vitamins, which may say more about our health care system, than it does retail theft. I have also seen people remove items from their packaging, to allow for easier concealment, or hide the item in a stroller or cart. I have also responded to the calls where someone took the item into the dressing room and placed it somewhere on their person, sometimes even layering clothing or undergarments. I have even seen someone conceal items in their person, which is going above and beyond if you ask me; nobody needs a necklace that bad. Regardless of the method, concealment seems to be the most popular method of shoplifting from my experience, and requires special consideration. The best method to prevent shoplifting, of this nature, is to utilize retail anti-theft devices
Alpha Security has a myriad of retail anti-theft devices that can be used to prevent shoplifting. They have hard tags and locks that can be used to protect any item in your inventory. Many of these devices can be equipped with the Alpha 3 Alarm, which provide an audible notification alarm. The cable locks, for example can be affixed to clothing and other items such as shoes, purses or other accessories and allow the retailer the ability to secure the item without having to pin expensive items. The locks come in various lengths and therefore provide a wide range of options in order to prevent shoplifting. They are small and easy to affix and can be equipped with the Alpha 3 Alarm technology, which is battery powered. The alarm is designed to sound if someone attempts to leave the store with the item or tries to remove the tag from the merchandise. These Alarms are designed to deter shoplifting because concealment will not play a factor with these types of devices. These tags and locks are reusable and can be affixed at the retail level. You can also purchase anti-theft devices for larger items such as televisions, gaming consoles, tools and other high priced items.
I know some retail owners believe that equipping their merchandise with locks or tags or other anti-shoplifting devices is too troublesome and expensive, but as an officer and consumer, the up-front cost outweighs the potential risk to your property and your pocketbook. As a law abiding citizen and a retail shopper, retail anti-theft devices are important to me as well. They ensure I am getting the products I want at a reasonable price. Preventing shoplifting doesn’t just improve profits for the retailer it also ensures retail prices are not marked up, due to inventory loss, associated with shoplifting. These devices will also reduce the amount of time you are seeing me in your store, at least in a law enforcement capacity that is, and will reduce your frustration. These devices are meant to supplement your existing loss prevention program and floor level associates with detection and deterrence. They also reduce your chances of having to deal with a lengthy judicial process, to try and reconcile your losses.
For more information about Alpha 3 Alarm technology, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547.
In my experience as a police officer, I would have to say that the majority of the shopliftings I have responded to involved some sort of concealment on the part of the offender. This happens in various ways and occurs across a large spectrum of people. I have seen people blatantly conceal items on the retail floor, by placing them in their purse or backpack or inside their clothing. This is typical of the younger crowd, although I have arrested an older man for stealing vitamins, which may say more about our health care system, than it does retail theft. I have also seen people remove items from their packaging, to allow for easier concealment, or hide the item in a stroller or cart. I have also responded to the calls where someone took the item into the dressing room and placed it somewhere on their person, sometimes even layering clothing or undergarments. I have even seen someone conceal items in their person, which is going above and beyond if you ask me; nobody needs a necklace that bad. Regardless of the method, concealment seems to be the most popular method of shoplifting from my experience, and requires special consideration. The best method to prevent shoplifting, of this nature, is to utilize retail anti-theft devices
Alpha Security has a myriad of retail anti-theft devices that can be used to prevent shoplifting.They have hard tags and locks that can be used to protect any item in your inventory. Many of these devices can be equipped with the Alpha 3 Alarm, which provide an audible notification alarm. The cable locks, for example can be affixed to clothing and other items such as shoes, purses or other accessories and allow the retailer the ability to secure the item without having to pin expensive items. The locks come in various lengths and therefore provide a wide range of options in order to prevent shoplifting. They are small and easy to affix and can be equipped with the Alpha 3 Alarm technology, which is battery powered. The alarm is designed to sound if someone attempts to leave the store with the item or tries to remove the tag from the merchandise. These Alarms are designed to deter shoplifting because concealment will not play a factor with these types of devices. These tags and locks are reusable and can be affixed at the retail level. You can also purchase anti-theft devices for larger items such as televisions, gaming consoles, tools and other high priced items.
I know some retail owners believe that equipping their merchandise with locks or tags or other anti-shoplifting devices is too troublesome and expensive, but as an officer and consumer, the up-front cost outweighs the potential risk to your property and your pocketbook. As a law abiding citizen and a retail shopper, retail anti-theft devices are important to me as well. They ensure I am getting the products I want at a reasonable price. Preventing shoplifting doesn’t just improve profits for the retailer it also ensures retail prices are not marked up, due to inventory loss, associated with shoplifting. These devices will also reduce the amount of time you are seeing me in your store, at least in a law enforcement capacity that is, and will reduce your frustration. These devices are meant to supplement your existing loss prevention program and floor level associates with detection and deterrence. They also reduce your chances of having to deal with a lengthy judicial process, to try and reconcile your losses.
For more information about Alpha 3 Alarm technology, contact us or call 1.770.426.0547.
Having worked in retail for so many years now, I have always hated to see what I considered wasted payroll. Some stores seem to be over staffed when there is no need for it and then there are times I look around a store and can’t seem to find any help.When I get to a checkout counter and there is only one lane open and a line of customers waiting to check out, I shake my head and just wonder what is going on with that store’s payroll and scheduling. I have also been a Manager On Duty and experienced the frustration of a schedule that was too light due to an automated scheduling system that supposedly gave payroll hours based on “historical” data. How about a schedule based on numbers of patrons, not just sales data like dollars spent or someone’s perception of what payroll should be. How beneficial would it be to your store to have a customer counting system that provides actual head counts so you can staff your store effectively?
The VisiPlus retail traffic counting system gives the store the ability to make accurate decisions on how many people should be staffed and at what times. Perhaps you staff your store with 10 employees every day from open to close. No changes to the schedule, just plug in 10 people and go. Do you truly need the same 10 people at 8:00 a.m. that you have scheduled at 10:00 p.m.? What time does your customer traffic really pick up? Wouldn’t it be nice to have 12 or 13 people on the schedule during your busiest hours? A customer counting system can help you do that. A door counting system works by measuring the people entering and exiting the building. Rather than estimating the number of patrons a store has had based on transactions, real numbers of patrons are counted.
So what is the difference between estimated numbers and real customer counts through a retail traffic counting system? Estimating customer counts through sales does not take into account those customers who may have left the store without making a purchase due to frustrations at wait times. If there is inadequate staffing at peak hours, customers who may have been seeking sales floor assistance may not have received it. Customers who saw the lines of a checkout counter and left due to the anticipated wait time are not counted. Customer counting systems give actual data and can provide day of the week and time break downs to make scheduling much more effective. I may need 10 people for 3 hours to stock merchandise and run the store, but if my counts show I have low customer counts for a few hours afterwards then I can send two or three workers home when the work is done. I can use historical counts to staff 13 or 14 people for 4 or 5 hours or more, based on what my door counting system has shown as peak times. In this way, I ensure ample coverage is in place to serve the additional foot traffic shopping in the store. Those additional three or four people can ensure I am serving my customers on the floor and getting them through the checkout lines quickly. As I improve my service, my sales will go up.
As a Manager On Duty I also closed a store with far too few people to get a proper recovery done. Because of poor scheduling we would have just enough staff to help customers, but not enough at those peak times to also recover the store as it was being torn up. Sales data showed a slowdown in traffic so, why have extra help at 10:00 p.m.? Basing staffing on the results of a door counting system, proper payroll allocation can be adjusted to make sure ALL tasks get done, patrons are served AND you get your staff out on time. I can’t tell you how much payroll I see overspent because staffs are kept past scheduled hours to straighten a store.
A retail counting system can help you be smarter in payroll spending. In doing so you will be able to better serve your customers, and increase transactions and dollars. Don’t depend on sales that have been missed as a measure of your customer traffic, see what a difference a customer counting system can make for your staffing model!
Need information on a customer counting system? Give us a call at 1.770.426.0547 now.
